Somehow I completely forgot that Harley Peyton wrote this episode by himself! I thought his last solo script was episode 9. I'm not sure why, but I find this very interesting. I also wonder why Peyton tackled it alone whereas he usually co-wrote with Engels from ep. 13 on.

That also makes this the last Twin Peaks episode to be written by one of the big 4 alone (Lynch/Frost/Peyton/Engels).

I can say with confidence that episode 23 is a better than 20. But - going into this rewatch, anyway (I may feel differently afterwards) - I decided that 20 deserved to be near the top of mid-season two as far as subjective favorite. Now, that's obviously a relative statement. In many ways this is a pretty crummy episode and by about two-thirds of the way in, I was getting restless. Evelyn popping champagne with James before making out with Malcolm (there is a LOT of the Marsh clan in this episode), Ernie's weird antsiness (which never comes off as funny as it's supposed to), Andy's and Dick's "undercover" investigation into Little Nicky's orphanage (stupidly charming to me on recent rewatches but just lame this time)...all quintessential midseason muck. Whatever doubts I had about its placement, 20 floated up near the best of the worst on the strength of two sequences: the trippy opening with Maj. Briggs and the climactic standoff at Dead Dog Farm. I've become rather fond of Dead Dog Farm over time. The decrepit decor and even the name feel quintessentially Lynchian, and I like its dystopian vibe plunked down in the midst of the bucolic small town. I've also noticed similarities between it and the room above the convenience store in Fire Walk With Me, but we'll save that discussion for another time. As the blonde mounty himself observes, Jean's monologue doesn’t really make much sense (it's about on par with Josie shooting Cooper "because you came here"). But there is a wrongheaded intuitive logic to Jean’s superstitious blame-Cooper paranoia; it’s the sort of emotionally-driven rationale that people generally come up with when they are looking for a convenient scapegoat. Coop himself seems slightly swayed by the force of Jean's presentation; this is key season two/fallen Cooper material here, paving the way to the series climax. Similarly, that bravura opening (a bit cheesy but fun in its video-game graphics) nicely lays the groundwork for the Twin Peaks mythology. I'd argue that, along with Hawk's speech in episode 18, this is the motherlode of lore for the mid-season. And it's presented in a much more visually compelling way than its entirely verbal predecessor. That fiery tattoo symbol spinning through space; the major seated on his jungle throne (love the distorted growls on the soundtrack, which can be heard subtly at the episode’s end too); the giant owl flashing across the screen; the artfully stated "skies above and earth below" pivoting from UFOs back to season 1's "darkness in the woods”; Briggs' perplexing delivery of "Is this for the soul? My soul?" as he taps the wooden table (a gesture that makes sense only in light of Josie’s fate); and finally the water dripping from the ceiling sprinkler, linking Leland's death to whatever is haunting Maj. Briggs and threatening Cooper. Much of this is down to Todd Holland's flamboyant direction - the young director certainly had a way with flashy cold opens (he also conceived that traveling shot through the ceiling hole in episode 11). But we also have to tip our hat to Harley Peyton, who receives the episode's sole writing credit. This is the last time in Twin Peaks history, including the upcoming run, that any of the show's four core talents (Lynch, Frost, Peyton, and Bob Engels) would pen an entire episode alone.

Not out of the woods yet, but a big step up from the previous episode. This episode is essentially Dead Dog Farm vs. Everything Else, with the former being a breath of fresh air and the latter being the usual mid-S2 annoyances. That climactic sequence really is quite good actually -- the most exciting stuff since Leland's death. I also love the way Holland bathes the interior in shadow as Jean and Coop converse. It's a great location which could have been milked a little more. The opening with Briggs is pretty cool, too. And the ending with Shelly and Earle's victim is genuinely creepy. Good stuff, surprisingly. You know what, this episode isn't so bad after all -- gotta be easily the best of the 17-22 stretch (I'll soon find out if 23 is as much of a step up on this re-watch as it's often touted as).

Overall, this episode is a good one. I think the entertainment value brought from the Dead Dog Farm scenes, every Denise moment, as well as Shelly and Bobby's troubles, are all very enjoyable. The Major Briggs elements of episode 20 are very intriguing to me as well. I find his plot fascinating at this point in the series. I wrote a recap for this episode here ---> http://twinpeaksfanatic.blogspot.com/20 ... de-20.html

Dead Dog Farm was the sort of police material the show needed to concentrate on more. Still unconvinced by the climax of the siege; would Jean Renault really be suckered by a 6'4" bloke in drag? That's the thing with Duchovny: he ain't short and unnoticeable!!

Overall this one is a breath of fresh air for me after 19 -- largely due to the Dead Dog stuff, but also because I tend to be more amused by Ben's moronic subplot than most of the other "comedic" shenanigans, and this episode is heavy on him. Beymer's energy and Holland's use of the set make those scenes more amusing than they have any right to be. (Although the Catherine reconciliation scene is completely idiotic.) A bad episode, but it rises above the rock-bottom of the last couple.

Holland also seemingly added some nice unscripted touches to the creepy "Leo awakens" sequence, namely the weird clown toy and Leo wearing a party hat and smearing cake on his face. Also, Holland transported the trippy Briggs sequence from the scripted armchair in the woods to the weird jungle throne seen onscreen, and added Denise's thigh holster to the mix (in the script, the gun is on her tray).

On the other hand, major points off for the way Holland executes (pun not intended) Coop shooting Jean. In the script, Jean draws his gun and Coop shoots in self defense. The way Holland shoots and edits it, Coop kills him in cold blood -- in fact, there's a quick shot of Jean holding the food tray and looking like a deer in headlights just before Coop shoots, as if to drive home the point that he's utterly defenseless.

Mr. Reindeer wrote:On the other hand, major points off for the way Holland executes (pun not intended) Coop shooting Jean. In the script, Jean draws his gun and Coop shoots in self defense. The way Holland shoots and edits it, Coop kills him in cold blood -- in fact, there's a quick shot of Jean holding the food tray and looking like a deer in headlights just before Coop shoots, as if to drive home the point that he's utterly defenseless.

I don't see it that way: Coop had to shoot immediately, 'cause Renault was going for his gun the very moment he spotted Denise sporting a hidden gun strapped to her thigh, so it was kill or be killed for Coop - whoever will be quicker.

Agent Earle wrote:Renault was going for his gun the very moment he spotted Denise sporting a hidden gun strapped to her thigh

Where are you seeing that? It's not in the cut of the episode on my Blu Ray. This is the last shot we see of Jean immediately before Coop pulls the trigger. He's holding the dinner tray, seemingly with both hands, and looks completely stunned -- decidedly not like someone who's about to reach for his own weapon.

Ok. If you freeze-frame the shot of Jean immediately after Coop shoots him, it does look like his hand is in his jacket -- presumably reaching for a gun -- as he tumbles backwards. But there is zero evidence of this in the edit before Coop shoots him. And even the shot afterward is so blink-and-you'll-miss-it that I can barely see it in real-time, even now knowing that it's there.

I stand by my original statement: Holland and the editor dropped the ball big-time when they put that sequence together. It puts Coop in a really crummy light, even if they did provide just enough for fastidious freeze-framers to exonerate him. I guess TP has its reverse-"Han Shot First" moment. "Jean Drew First"?

That's how I see it too, Renault was completely taken by surprise. I love how he died tried to reach for his gun as he was dying. I felt that his "you brought the evil" speech to Cooper sounds like it was dialogue that belonged to someone else. It would have made much more sense and been far stronger coming from any actual resident of Twin Peaks than him. It's still strong, but mainly because Parks and MacLachlan are so good.

There's so much going on here it's almost hard to keep track of all the storylines! At least there's no Lana, though unfortunately there's a lot of Evelyn, and some more backstory on Little Nicky too.

The opening scene (special effects aside) is sort of cool, and Briggs in the Sheriff's Station is an interesting scene, especially the line "Is my soul meant for this?" (while stroking the wooden table), which will foreshadow Josie being trapped in the wooden doorknob, the mentions of Ghostwood, and an overall arc of spirits in wood that was, alas, never fully developed. Another mention of the White Lodge also.

Were they trying to imply or misdirect the viewer that the Major might have been possessed by Bob, what with the talk of the giant owl he saw and the close up of the dripping water from the ceiling sprinkler (from the night Bob left Leland) when the photo of the marks on his neck is shown?